“I’m sorry,” she said when they came to a stop out of the view of the windows and therefore invisible to all the happy people inside. “I’m being silly.”
“I doubt that.” Harry slid out a chair and sat, pulling Willow into his lap. “Now, stop apologizing and tell me what’s going on.”
She nuzzled her cheek against his chest and took a moment to appreciate the closeness. But that only reiterated how much she enjoyed being with him and how soon she was going to leave Bliss. She choked on another sob and buried her face in his neck.
“I don’t want to leave,” she finally managed between deep, hitching breaths. “I love it here. I miss Juliet like crazy and I’m so super happy for her, but I don’t have anyone in New York anymore.” She pulled back and looked Harry in the eyes. “And…” She sniffled, trying to decide the perfect way to say what she meant. “And…” She licked her lips. “I’m gonna miss you so damn much. I can’t believe how attached I’ve gotten to you in so short a time.”
Harry pulled her in close. “I’m gonna miss you, too. A lot. Every second of the day. You’re something special, Willow Tamran.” He kissed the top of her head and put a finger under her chin, tilting her face to his. “But, there’s email and phone calls and texting. There’s video chat. And don’t forget the plane ticket I booked to fly out to New York to see The Nutcracker in a few weeks.”
The statement hung between them as it circled Willow’s head like a drunken sparrow. When it finally landed, when she finally processed what he said, exhilaration had her heart doing victory laps. “You’re coming to New York? To see The Nutcracker?” She knew the smile on her face was too big and the tears were making her eyes all squinty—surely not her best look—but she couldn’t stop grinning if she wanted to.
Harry nodded. “I love making you look this happy.” He ran his thumb across her lower lip. “And yes, I’m coming to New York, but no, it’s not to see The Nutcracker. I’m coming to see you. I want to keep getting to know you better. And how can I know you better if I don’t start learning to appreciate the things you’re passionate about?”
This man. How could I ignore this man?
He came into her life in a trumpet’s blast of powerful signs and there he was, continuing to prove himself to be everything she ever needed.
Without thinking, she kissed him.
Just flung her arms around him and pressed her mouth to his as an explosion of need overcame her. Her body yearned for him in the same way her heart did.
She needed him inside of her, not just physically, but emotionally, too.
She needed him to be part of her. To claim her and promise to be hers and she did her best to communicate that to him in the moment of unbridled passion that sent her into his arms.
Harry returned the kiss with as much passion as she put into it, his tongue darting into her mouth as his hands traced her back. She opened to him. Gave herself to him. There was no going back.
In that moment…
…sitting on a darkened deck overlooking the ocean…
…she acknowledged that she was irrevocably his.
That no matter what the next couple months brought, no matter how much distance was between them, her heart belonged to him. It would live where he lived.
Harry slid his hand under Willow’s dress, sighing into her mouth as his fingers found the lace edge of her underwear. She parted her thighs and let her head drop back as he dipped into her.
“Stand up,” he said, and she did. “Come here.” He took her wrist and led her to a dark corner of the deck. “Put your hands on the railing.”
Willow gripped the wooden beam and stared into the water on the other side, shivering as Harry ran his fingers up her arms before he reached under her dress and pulled her panties to her ankles.
“Harry!” She gasped in protest even as she stepped out of her underwear, careful not to catch them in her heels. “We’re outside. Someone might see.”
“Don’t worry. This will be quick. Part punishment for being such a bad girl earlier tonight. Part reminder that you are mine and I am yours and nothing can come between us. Not distance. Not a party filled with people.”
Harry lifted her dress and smacked her ass. “That’s for being a bad girl.” He ran a finger up her slit before dipping first one, then two, fingers inside her. “And that’s because you’re my bad girl,” he said as Willow moaned and arched her back, trying to look over her shoulder and see him.
There was a moment of emptiness as Harry withdrew. She heard the rustle of foil as he pulled a condom from his pocket, then the sound of his zipper coming down and the condom going on. He pressed the tip of his dick against her opening and Willow quivered with desire, both delighted and horrified to realize she was wet enough for moisture to drip down her inner thighs.
Harry thrust forward, so fast and deep there was no time to think about anything else. She cried out—unable to hold back the sound as he slammed inside her. Pain melted into pleasure, each thrust bringing him deeper and deeper. When she cried out again, Harry covered her mouth with his hand.
It was quick and dirty, and Willow’s body responded to his with such fervent desire that her orgasm arrived faster than she expected. She was thankful for his hand over her mouth as he had his way with her because considering how her inner
